Belgian government faces backlash over migration policy

The Belgian government is facing a backlash over its treatment of migrants and refugees, following protests in Brussels’ Park Maximilien, home to the city’s largest makeshift migrant camp, on Sunday evening.

“Solidarity is not a crime,” Alexis Deswaef, president of the League of Human Rights, said Monday. “It is thanks to the commitment of many citizens that there is no second Calais in Brussels, not thanks to the government.”

Park Maximilien, located in front of the federal immigration office, has become a gathering point for migrants and refugees in the city. On Sunday, some 2,000 local citizens, according to organizers’ estimates, gathered there to protest planned arrests of migrants by the federal government.

Volunteers from the Citizen’s Platform for Refugee Support coordinated to host between 150 and 200 people who would otherwise had slept in the park. Some 300 others had already been taken in by host families on Saturday evening.

Local police in the communes of Schaerbeek and Bruxelles-Capitale, in the city center, refused to participate in the federal police operation Sunday night.

However, Interior Minister Jan Jambon said Monday that 17 people residing illegally in Belgium were arrested Sunday, and that the country’s immigration office would now look into their cases.

“The operations took place on the platforms and inside the trains circulating toward Brussels,” his spokesperson told Le Soir.

The government has faced added scrutiny over its migration policies in recent weeks. Theo Francken, a junior minister in charge of asylum and migration, has been under pressure for organizing the deportation of Sudanese migrants in consultation with the Khartoum government, which faces widespread accusations of human rights abuses. Several of the deportees said Sudanese officials tortured them after they were repatriated.

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Burgundian

Transfer all the third world migrants by ship or plane directly to Benelux countries, European migrant problem solved.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 12:40 PM CET

Roland

Being an illegal immigrant is a crime and if you show “solidarity” with criminals by assisting and helping them in their behavior you by definition are also a criminal. Also these people if they were serious with their nonsense statements of “solidarity” they would join these illegal immigrants and show “solidarity” to them in their own nations and not stomp around a park in Brussels while leaching off Belgian citizens taxes.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 12:44 PM CET

glasspix 1

“Several of the deportees said Sudanese officials tortured them after they were repatriated.” They did not get sugar with their coffee…
Population of Belgium, 11.3 million. Protesters 2000. Prolitico headline: Belgian government faces backlash…

Posted on 1/22/18 | 1:19 PM CET

Saintixe

@glasspix
I agree Politico is very proNGOs.
I take POLITICO journos are not paying the bills when it comes to pay for the wanton destruction of public buildings (and private business shops included) by these supposedly mild mannered kind protesters.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 2:03 PM CET

François P

@Roland

“Being an illegal immigrant is a crime and if you show “solidarity” with criminals by assisting and helping them in their behavior you by definition are also a criminal.”

Sorry, but staying in Belgium without authorisation isn’t a crime. And neither is showing solidarity with irregular immigrants such as providing a place to sleep for the night.

@Saintixe

“I take POLITICO journos are not paying the bills when it comes to pay for the wanton destruction of public buildings (and private business shops included) by these supposedly mild mannered kind protesters.”

Yesterday’s demonstration against government policy was entirely peaceful. Why do you try to invent completely false facts?

That said, I support government policy. The irregular immigrants that the police is arresting don’t even want to claim asylum in Belgium or try to find any other valid solution. Therefore, I find it logical that the government wants to return these irregular immigrants to their country of origin.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 2:57 PM CET

contango

@ glasspix

thats exactly right

backlash from who? a couple of thousand of left wing kumbayah treasonous subversives n their illegal immigrant friends

are they assisting illegal behavior and/or activities by demonstrating?
if they are, i say round em up too n throw em in jail

Posted on 1/22/18 | 3:26 PM CET

Alexandre

Corni

This article is simply hilarious and pathetic. Apparently the law and order does not matter at ALL for the lefty loons including EU bureaucrats. Not surprising then that Mutti Merkel is clinging of a thread in her political career that is actually over and populist movement is on march. At the end of the day someone has to take care of the citizens legally populating this continent.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 4:54 PM CET

Benjamin V

This article is ridiculous. The silent majority is strongly in favour of the current migration policies, probably want something stricter too.

There is no backlash. Just activists. They protest because their opinion is a minority opinion.

These protests are orchestrated. One could see it coming when all the media started to report on ‘leaked’ police plans to check migrants in Brussels, immediately followed by calls from the no-border activists for protests.

2000 protesters is nothing in a country with 11 million people.

Just to compare; more than 55.000 people signed the petition in support of Theo Francken. A petition with zero coverage in the mainstream media. A petition not mentioned in this article.